The Dark Tower
by TreeOfLife1997
Summary: When Gwen is taken by Morgana, Arthur is determined to rescue his Queen. But it will not be easy; she is locked in the Dark Tower, a place that haunts the dreams of men. Arthur and his Knights must embark on a quest like no other, battling through a landscape riddled with hidden dangers, perilous obstacles and magical beings. And just what type of twisted game is Morgana playing?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter one: Taken Queen.

)o(

In a land of myth and a time of magic, the destiny of a great kingdom rests on the shoulders of a young man, his name… Merlin.

)o(

Gwen knelt down and places a bunch of flower on her fathers' grave. The flowers were nothing special, they were simple wild flowers Freya and Isolde had helped her pick before she had set out. Because wild flowers always reminded her of her father, not because he had liked them, but because whenever she had time to pick them, he'd place them in a vase in the middle of their small table and sometimes draw them when he had the time.

Gwen gets back to her feet and steps backward and Elyan puts and arm around her shoulders and Gwen rests her head against his shoulder. The last time Elyan had seen their father was just before he left home and the two of them had not parted on good terms, yet their father had never given up hope that one day Elyan would return home. And he had, just not before their father had died.

"Even after all these years I still miss him," Gwen cries slightly, wiping tears from her eyes.

"He was a good father," Elyan adds. "I'm glad we came."

"So am I," Gwen agrees.

)o(

"I think that he'd be proud," Leon announces from the head of the riding party as they made their way back to Camelot.

"Particularly of Elyan," Gwen agrees, smiling at her brother as he rode next to her.

Elyan looks slightly surprised by that, "Me?"

"Not because you're a knight," Gwen explains. "But because of the man you've become."

"I don't think so," Elyan disagrees, with a slight shake of his head.

"She's right," Percival adds, agreeing with Gwen.

"Absolutely," Gwaine nodes, with a mischievous grin. "You're outstanding, especially when it comes to sweet-talking the ladies, if nothing else."

Elyan goes slightly red and looks at his sister, "Don't listen to him."

"No," Leon disagrees. "Elyan loves only one woman."

"Who?" Gwen asks, intrigued.

"You!" Elyan exclaims before anyone else has a chance to answer.

"Tell me," Gwen pleads. "I'm your sister."

"Did Arthur not say?" Gwaine asks, saving Elyan from answering.

Gwen rolls her eyes, "Arthur never tells me anything."

"But he told you who Gwaine's in love with." Elyan points out.

"Yes," Gwen answers with a grin. "Himself!"

Everyone laughs, while Gwaine folds his arms across his chest in mock annoyance and turns his head away with a sniff.

But unknown to them, Morgana was watching them from the trees. Her gaze settles on Gwen and she smirks, before turning away and heading deeper into the trees and out of sight. She returns to her horse and mounts it in one swift move, before riding off towards a clearing not far ahead of Gwen and the knights.

Jumping down from her horse, Morgana glances round until her gaze settles on want she needs. She glances in the direction Gwen and the Knights would soon be approaching from, before kneeling down next to a pile of earth and leaves.

"Wanne nædran, fram þæs foldan bosme astigaþ ge." Morgana chants.

Snakes quickly form out of the earth and leaves and slither off into the grass. Smirking to herself Morgana quickly disappears back to the wood with her horse. Only a few seconds later Gwen and the Knights appear, none having no ideas what had just transpired in the clearing only moments before.

The snakes slither through the grass, towards the horses startling them and Leon and Percival are thrown from their horse's backs. Gwaine and Elyan quickly jump down from their horses only to be greeted by the snakes which rear up and snap at them.

"They're after the Queen," Elyan turns to Gwen. "Ride! Get to the trees! Go!"

Gwen rides off into the tree, only to pull her horse to a halt as Morgana appears in the middle of the path. Turning away, Gwen rides in a different direction, only to be pulled from her horse by a wordless spell cast by Morgana. She falls to the ground and gets knocked out, as her head hits an exposed tree root on the forest floor.

"Sleep, milady," Morgana mocks slightly, as she kneels beside her. "It could be some time before you do so again."

)o(

Merlin sat between Gaius and Alice, as they attempted to teach him a complex healing spell. When it came to magic Merlin often found it came naturally to him, but he still struggled with healing spells especially when he had to heal himself. So Alice and Gaius had taken in upon themselves to teach him, but the learning the healing arts was a long process, as there were still things Alice and Gaius didn't know themselves.

"You are progressing well, Merlin," Alice smiles, as she examines the enchanted liquid Merlin had just created. "I have no doubt this position could cure the sweating fever in a few hours, as where most would take days."

"Well done, my boy," Gaius congratulates him. "I'll be sure to add it to the already made potions."

Merlin smiles slightly, "And it's only taken me the better part of a month to perfect it."

"Knowledge and perfection come with time," Alice reassures him. "In a few years you'll be able to do this in your sleep, it'll be that easy. The only problem you have is you magic is in the habit of acting defensively, it reacts to everything as if it is a threat. Such magic has no use in the art of healing as it is too aggressive and spoils the natural working of the herbs."

Merlin nodes and goes to answer only to stop as the door to the chamber is thrown open and a group of Knights enter carrying Leon and Percival between them. Merlin quickly clears the work benches and Leon and Percival are quickly placed down. Most of the Knights then clear out of the room but Elyan and Gwaine remain.

"Merlin," Gaius orders from his place beside Percival. "Hollyhock."

"One gram?" Merlin question, hurrying over to where the Hollyhock was stored.

Gaius shakes his head, "Two grams."

"Then what?" Merlin questions.

"Three grains," Alice answers from her place tensing to Leon.

As Merlin hands Gaius the ingredients he needs, Arthur comes storming into the room.

"What happened?" Arthur demands.

"We were riding," Elyan explains. "And came upon a nest of snakes."

"Where's Guinevere?!" Arthur suddenly exclaims, upon seeing she isn't in the room.

Elyan and Gwaine look at each other and Gaius raises an eyebrow at the exchange.

"Where is she?" Arthur asks, slowly his voice taking a dangerous tone.

"I told her to get away," Elyan finally answers. "She fled..."

Arthur glances at Leon and Percival, before spinning on his heels and leaving the room in the same manner he had entered. Merlin quickly followed him.

"Arthur?" Merlin called after him.

"We ride at dawn," Arthur calls over his shoulder before he vanishes out of sight.

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This story is part of the 'Life Outside of the Shadows' series, for more details please check out my profile. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter two: The Poison of Dark Magic.

)o(

Merlin sat on a stool beside the bed Percival was lying unconscious on, he was busy examining the snake bite on Percival arm. The poison from the snake's bite had discoloured the veins around the two puncture wounds.

Merlin had been trying spell after spell to remove the poison but nothing he tried would work, which wasn't too much of a surprise as there were hundreds of healing spells for snake bites and unless you could identify the snake, picking the right one was near impossible.

In fact between them, Alice and Gaius owned a collection of five spell books dedicated to healing snake bites and no two spells in any of the books were the same. Elyan had given them a description of what the snakes had looked like, which had helped, but not by a lot. There were about seven different types of snakes it could have been and five times as many different spells for curing their bites.

Merlin hadn't even tried half of them yet and he was beginning to get frustrated with the lack of results.

Across the room from where Merlin was sitting, Alice and Gaius were working on an antidote they hoped would slow down the poison. It was a remedy which was often used to slow the effects of most snake bites, it was a universal remedy in many respects, but it didn't cure the snake bite.

"This is no accident," Gaius shakes his head slightly as he works.

Alice nodes in agreement, "The way young Sir Elyan described the snake's behaving, is no way I have ever heard of a snake acting before."

"Sorcery," Gaius concludes.

"It is quite possible," Alice agrees. "But enchanting animals in such a way is no easy task."

Merlin glances over his shoulder at Alice and Gaius having heard their conversation. Alice was right, if the animals had been enchanted, it must have been done by someone with powerful magic. Morgana was more than capable of doing it and she had every reason to attack the Knights and Queen. But that didn't seem Morgana's style, unless...

Merlin quickly placed his hand over Percival wound, hardly noticing how Percival flinched at the contact as it caused pain to his wound. Merlin shut his eyes and concentrated and let his magic move freely.

It sent a shudder through him as his magic came in contact with the dark magic flowing through Percival's wound. Opening his eyes and jumping to his feet, Merlin hurries over to Leon and repeats the process getting the same result.

Taking a step back, Merlin thinks for a moment before quickly making his way over to one of the countless bookshelves which lined the walls of the room. It didn't take him long to find the book he was looking for.

A book about dark magic had how to treat injuries caused by it.

He flicked though the pages and it didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. A snake summoned from the ground by dark magic. The snakes which had bitten Percival and Leon hadn't been a normal snake, they had been born of earth using dark magic. And that was definitely more Morgana's style.

"There is dark magic coursing through their veins," Merlin informs Alice and Gaius, as he makes his way over to them and places the open book on the table in front of them.

"If this is true," Gaius mutters, as he looks over the page. "Then right now they should be dead."

"They were lucky." Merlin answers glancing at Percival and Leon.

"I fear there is more to it than luck." Gaius replies gravely.

Merlin shuts his eyes for a second and nodes. "Morgana?"

"She definitely has the abilities and power to cast such as spell as well as the reason to do it," Alice answers Merlin's question. "But you already believe it to be her."

"I need to tell Arthur," Merlin matters before hurrying out the door.

)o(

Merlin approached the door to Arthur and Gwen's shared chambers and he didn't bother to stop and knock, he just pushed the door open and entered. Arthur was sitting on the end of his and Gwen's bed twirling one of Gwen's hair pins between his fingers.

It was a present he had given Gwen to wear on her first public appearance as Queen, it had belonged to his mother and had been gifted to her by his father on their wedding day. Gwen had treasured it and she often wore in her hair.

"Learn to knock will you." Arthur spoke as Merlin approached him, but he didn't look up.

"Sorry," Merlin mutters. "I wanted you to know that Leon and Percival are safe. Alice and Gaius are working on antidote. They will soon be on the road to recovery."

And it was true. The page Merlin had found in the book about the snakes, had also included an antidote and both Alice and Gaius were skilled enough to make it.

"That's good news," Arthur nodes slightly.

"Arthur… There is evidence of sorcery." Merlin informs Arthur with a slight hesitation. "We suspect Morgana is involved, she is definitely powerful enough to have done this… The snakes which attacked them were summoned using dark magic."

Arthur looks up at Merlin, before glancing away and getting to his feet.

"You can go Merlin," Arthur tells Merlin as he walks over to the window.

Merlin doesn't move from where he's standing and just watches Arthur.

"I lost Guinevere once before…" Arthur mutters to himself.

"You are not going to lose her." Merlin speaks up.

Arthur glances at Merlin again, but he doesn't look convinced.

"You're not," Merlin repeats taking a step forward. "We will find her. I swear it."

Merlin holds out his hand and Arthur stares at it for a moment before clasping Merlin's hand with one of his own. Merlin smiles slightly, Arthur still had hope.

"We will bring her home," Merlin promises.

)o(

The following morning Gwen lay asleep on the forest floor, as Morgana knelt beside her. Observing Gwen more a moment, Morgana tilted her head to the side slightly before reaching forward and brushing her hand over Gwen's cheek, causing Gwen to wake with a start.

Upon seeing Morgana sitting over her, Gwen quickly forced herself to sit up and move back away from Morgana, the best she could. But it wasn't easy to do with her wrists tied together with a length of rope.

"Good morning, my lady," Morgana smirks.

"What do you want with me?" Gwen demands, ignoring Morgana's seemingly pleasant greeting.

"I thought we could play a little game," Morgana answers, the smirk never leaving her face.

Gwen glances around warily, as if she expected something to jump out and attack her right then.

"A game?" Gwen asks warily.

She still had nightmares about the time Morgana had turned her into deer and Arthur had hunted her. Was that the type of game Morgana had in mind?

"A game to find out just to find out how much Arthur loves you," Morgana get's to her feet.

"It won't work," Gwen shakes her head, realising what Morgana had in mind.

"You underestimate his feelings for you." Morgana sneers.

"He's not stupid," Gwen argues.

"We'll see." Morgana smirks once more.

"He'll know you've taken me," Gwen disagrees. "He'll know it's a trap."

"He will," Morgana all but cackles. "But he'll still come."

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I am so sorry I haven't updated this story in a while, it sort of slipped my mind. I'm aiming to update this story either tomorrow or the next day, in order to try and make up for lost time as I aim to update these stories once a week. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter three: The Quest Begins.

)o(

Freya handed Merlin a small wrapped up object as he stood at the table in their shared quarters, packing the things he needed for the journey to find Camelot's missing queen. Merlin stared at it for a moment before taking it from her hands with a smile. Merlin knew what it was and he knew it would most likely be needed.

"I wish you were coming with me, my love," Merlin mutters, as he places the wrapped up object in his pack.

Freya smiles softly and reaches up and places one of her palms to one of Merlin's checks, "As do I, but I have been summoned by the Sidhe."

Merlin reaches up and takes Freya's hand, pressing a kiss to her palm as he lowers her hand.

"I know," Merlin sighs.

"You'll save her," Freya reassures him. "I know you will."

"But what if I can't, Freya?" Merlin asks. "We are walking straight into a trap. Morgana has come up with this plan to kill Arthur. What if something happens? What if I can't save both of them?"

"You can and you will," Freya takes Merlin's hand in both of her own.

Merlin stares at Freya before looking away.

"Hey," Freya orders softly. "Look at me."

Slowly Merlin turns back to meet her gaze, his eye full of regret and sorrow.

"This isn't really about them, is it?" Freya questions. "This is about Aithusa."

Merlin shut his eyes and bowed his head.

"What if Morgana has him there? She was using him as her own personal guard dog at Ismere!" Merlin asks. "What if he attacks one of the Knights while I'm not there to stop him?"

"The knights would never harm a dragon," Freya answers. "They know not to harm them."

"You don't understand… I failed him, Freya," Merlin disagrees. "I should have done something… I should have tried harder to find him. I should have found him and I should never have stopped searching for him. Now Morgana has him and the Knights think he's the enemy… If I'm not there to stop Aithusa, he'll attack them and they could be injured or worse, killed! Not to mention what the Knights might do to Aithusa!"

Freya leans forward and kisses Merlin's forehead, "You didn't fail him. King Sarrum is the one to blame… He has ways of hiding those with magic. You and I both know the stories people tell of what he does to those with magic… Maybe it would have been different if you had known Sarrum had caught Aithusa, but you didn't know… It wasn't your fault."

Before Merlin can answer there's a knock at the door to their quarters and a second later the door open to reveal Mordred, dressed and ready to go. Freya nodes to him and he quickly bows before backing out the room, to give Freya and Merlin a few more moments together.

"It's time for you to go," Freya tells Merlin.

Merlin looks up and meets her gaze, before nodding and grabbing his pack. He leans forward and kisses Freya, before pulling back.

)o(

Merlin and Mordred walked side by side down the steps into Camelot's courtyard. Gathered at the bottom of the steps, the knights were talking amongst themselves as they waited for Arthur to arrive. Gwaine glanced up and waved in greeting to Merlin, as he and Mordred approached the group.

"Merlin!" Gwaine greets with his usual enthusiasm at seeing the sorcerer he called his first and closest friend.

"Gwaine," Merlin answers, as Gwaine pulled him into a one armed hug.

As Gwaine released him, Merlin nodded in greeting to Leon and Percival who were both present. The antidote Alice and Gaius had made up seemed to have worked well at slowing down the effects of the poison. All they could do was hope the poison ruining in their veins wasn't deadly. Dark magic was capable of doing far more than just killing a person.

Elyan was standing slightly away from the group, gripping the hilt of his sword and staring off into the distance. He had been troubled ever since he got back and was no doubt thinking he had failed his sister and Queen. Isolde and Tristan were also part of the group, which wasn't much of a surprise as Isolde was Gwen's personal guard and Tristan was one of Camelot's newest knights.

The sound the castle doors opening causes Merlin to look round to see Arthur hurrying down the castle steps, pulling on his riding gloves and adjusting his cloak. George was trailing behind him carrying his packs and looking slightly frightened. Merlin couldn't help but feel sorry for him, his years of working for Arthur had exposed him to the worst of Arthur's moods and with the disappearance of Gwen, Arthur definitely wasn't in a good mood.

"'Let's go," Was all Arthur said, as he pulled himself up into his horses saddle.

George quickly attached Arthur's packs to the horses saddle as the knights readied themselves to ride. Merlin and Mordred shared a glance before following suit. In less than a minute they were ready and as the first light of dawn appeared over the horizon, the group set out from Camelot in search for the missing Queen.

Less than an hour's ride from the castle, they came upon Gwen's horse. The horse was tied to a tree and was grazing on the long grass at the base of the tree. Elyan quickly jumped down from his horse and hurried over to the Gwen's horse. He quickly examined the saddle and what he found wasn't good.

"She must have been knocked from her mount by some force," Leon comments, joining Elyan beside the horse.

"Here," Percival points off into the forest. "Tracks. They are heading east."

"Let's go." Arthur orders once more.

)o(

Gwen struggled to walk as she was dragged behind Morgana's horse. The rope tied around Gwen's wrists were attached to the back of Morgana's horse's saddle. They had been walking non-stop since the morning and Gwen was struggling to keep up.

Her dress was covered in dirt from where she had fallen hours before, after she had just been to exhausted to keep going and her hair was a mess and even her dress was torn in couple of places. If anyone was to have seen her in that moment, they would never have guessed she was the Queen of Camelot.

Gasping for breath, Gwen collapses to the forest floor and was pulled forward to the ground as Morgana's horse kept going. Morgana pulls at the rains of her horse sharply, causing her horse to come to a halt as she notices Gwen was no longer on her feet and if she continued any further the horse would be dragging Gwen through the woods.

Gwen would be useless to her dead, so Morgana had no choice but to stop and let Gwen rest for a moment. Morgana climbs down from her horse and approaches Gwen and offering Gwen her water skin as she does so.

"Here," Morgana holds out the water skin.

Gwen glares up at her from where she was on the ground.

"Is it too good for you now that you are Queen?" Morgana sneers.

Gwen shakes her head, "I don't want anything from you."

"Just my crown…" Morgana sneers again. "Drink it. You may need it."

"Why?" Gwen questions.

Morgana smirks down at Gwen, "I would not be in such a hurry to know."

Morgana then pours all the water out of the water skin and turns around and walks back to her horse. She pulls herself back up on to her horse, she flicks the rains and the horse continues along the path, dragging Gwen to her feet as it does so. Gwen simply glares at Morgana's back as they continue on their way.

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter four: Who is Queen Mab?

)o(

Percival squinted at the ground as he attempted to follow the tracks Morgana and Gwen had left, but the light was rapidly fading. Percival lead his horse forward as he spotted what he thought were the tacks in the low light, only to find that they weren't when he drew closer.

"It's getting too dark," Percival calls over his shoulder.

"We'll keep heading east," Arthur orders, from the head of the group behind Percival.

Merlin glances at Arthur, "We have lost the trail."

"Then we'll retrace the tracks," Arthur answers, before riding off in the direction they had come from.

"Arthur!" Merlin calls after his friend, but Arthur doesn't stop.

"I'll talk to him," Merlin sighs glancing at the rest of the group, before riding after Arthur.

It doesn't take long for Merlin to catch up to Arthur who had stopped and gotten off his horse in order to try and see the tracks better in the rapidly dying light. Merlin quickly pulled at his horses rains and guided the horse to a halt. He quickly jumped down from the saddle and made his way over to Arthur.

"Arthur?" Merlin questions as he approaches.

"She can't be far," Arthur answers, looking round almost desperately.

"I know," Merlin replies. "But we have to work together."

Arthur turns to Merlin as he has a sudden thought, "Magic. You can use you're magic to light the way!"

"Arthur…" Merlin shakes his head.

"I've seen you Merlin," Arthur carries on talking. "I've seen what you can do, how you can follow a trail and see the path ahead of you using magic. It wouldn't-"

"Arthur!" Merlin interrupts him.

Arthur pauses and stares at Merlin, "What?"

"We need rest, Arthur," Merlin answers. "We've been riding nonstop all day."

"This is Guinevere we're talking about Merlin!" Arthur exclaims. "Every moment we waste, she is getting further and further away from us! We can't afford to stop! She's in danger and the more time we waste… The less likely I am to see her again."

"We can't keep going like this, Arthur!" Merlin argues. "If we carry on as we are now, we'll be too exhausted to fight Morgana when we find Gwen. We need our strength, Arthur. We are walking straight into a trap and we can't afford to make a single mistake."

"How can I rest, when all I can think about is how Guinevere is in danger?" Arthur questions, shaking his head slightly and returning his attention to ground.

"We'll make camp," Merlin responds, avoiding the question Arthur had asked. He knew no answer would be able to help. "Get a fire going. In the morning we'll pick up the trail again. Come on."

Arthur looks round one last time before following Merlin back towards where the others were waiting.

)o(

The sun was just beginning to set when Morgana stopped her horse with a sharp pull of the rains. Gwen collapsed to her knees once more, before looking up at the vast forest before her. It was like no other forest she had ever seen. The tree grew tall and twisted, vines hung down from the branches making the forest look impossible to pass through.

Morgana jumped down from her horse and approached the border of the forest. She stopped a couple of steps away from the closet tree and much to Gwen's surprise she bowed down.

"Queen Mab," Morgana calls. "I come as so ordered. Grant us pass through your realm, my Queen."

Gwen's eyebrows shoot up as she hears what Morgana had just called into the forest. She had never heard of Queen Mab before, nor had she ever seen Morgana bow down and follow orders, even when Uthur had been alive and Morgana had been her friend, she had never bowed down like this before.

Whoever Queen Mab was, she must be powerful if Morgana was following her orders.

A high pitched laugh echoes from within the forest and suddenly the trees begin to part, revealing a narrow a path.

"Step not from the path," A voce sings. "Or you will feel my wrath."

A shiver went up Gwen's spine at the sound of the voice. It seemed so sweet, but held such a sinister undercurrent. Morgan a takes her horse by the rains and begins leading the way along the path. Gwen struggles back to her feet and follows as the rope around her wrists tugs her forward. She shivers once more as she steps into the forest, as a feeling of unease washes over her.

After what seemed like hours of walking, Morgana leads the way out of the forest and they find themselves on a desert plain and in the distance was a dark tower, which looked as if it was made from pure darkness.

Morgana glanced back over her shoulder and smirked at the horrified look on Gwen's face. Morgana quickly pulled herself up into her horse's saddle once more and flicked the rains. The horse quickly set of at trot, pulling Gwen along unwillingly towards the tower.

"Keep moving," Morgana orders as they finally reach the tower and Morgana pushes Gwen towards the steps leading into the tower.

"Where are you taking me?" Gwen demands.

"You'll find out," Morgana smirks, as they enter the tower.

Morgana walks behind Gwen smirking as they begin to make their way up the steps within the tower. Gwen was almost ready to collapse when they finally reach the end of stairs, she was breathing heavily and she hadn't had a drink of water since before Morgana had caught her. She was exhausted. An entire day of nonstop walking had drained all her energy, she was simply thankful the trees of the forests they had passed though had offered shade from the sun.

Morgana moved past her and pulled a key from her belt. She stopped in front of a door Gwen hadn't noticed before, which was hidden deep in the shadows across from where she was standing at the top of the stairs. If Gwen had the energy, she would have tried to escape in that moment but she didn't.

Morgana unlocked the door and beckoned Gwen forward. Slowly Gwen made her way over to Morgana, before moving past her and into the room. It's only when she's already halfway across the room, Gwen realises Morgana wasn't following her.

Gwen spins round and faces Morgana, as something wet and slimy hits her face.

"What is this place?" Gwen demands.

Morgana smirks at her, "Sleep well."

"Morgana!" Gwen exclaims, as Morgana swings the door to the room shut.

Gwen begins to run towards the door, having regained a little of her strength back, but by the time she reaches the door, Morgana had already locked it and walked away. Gwen spins around as a scream sounds through the still air of the room and presses her back to the door. More screams fill the air and Gwen slides down the door and hides her face in her knees and covers her eyes with her hands.

)o(

Freya stood before the Lake of Avalon. The elders Sidhe hovered and whilst the younger Sidhe darted through the air and danced over the surface of the lake. It still surprised Freya how different the Sidhe looked in the mortal realm, to what they did in Avalon. They seemed so small and harmless, but were by far one of the most powerful begins she had ever encountered.

"Elders," Freya greets, with a slight bow of her head.

"Lady Emrys," A Sidhe elder answers her.

"Why have you summoned me?" Freya questions.

"In the years after Queen Ygraine's death, the High Priestess Nimueh made a deal with Queen Mab," A second Sidhe elder explains. "In exchange for a hundred souls, Queen Mab gave Nimueh access to a means of turning whomever she wished into a loyal follower. During the Great Purge allies were hard to come by, so Nimueh agreed to the deal."

"But when the young Lord Emrys killed the High Priestess the deal had not been fulfilled," The first elder continued the explanation. "And so the deal Nimueh and Queen Mab had struck was passed onto Morgause."

"The High Priestess Morgause used the deal to her advantage and turned many loyal to herself, including the Witch Morgana," Another Sidhe continued. "But when Morgause was sacrificed by her sister, the deal still had not been completed and once more the deal was passed on to another."

"The Witch Morgana is now responsible for fulfilling the deal with Queen Mab," The first Sidhe elder explains. "And only one more soul needs to be given."

"What is it you wish for me to do?" Freya asks.

"The deal must be broken," The Sidhe elder answers. "Queen Mab cannot receive the final soul. Only a being of Avalon can break the deal, for Queen Mab is a fae of the mortal realm but even she must answer to the power of Avalon."

"How do I break the deal?" Freya questions once more.

"We do not know, Lady Emrys," Another Sidhe answers. "A deal such as this has never been made before, but Queen Mab wishes to extend the reaches of her kingdom and she cannot be allowed to do so."

"You must hurry, Lady Emrys," The second Sidhe spoke up. "For at the dawn of the second and final day, once that sun has set the deal will be done and Queen Mab's power will become greater."

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter five: Haunted Dreams.

)o(

Elyan stood away from the camp, half hidden by the trees which surrounded the small clearing they had set up camp in. He glanced over his shoulder every now and again, before looking away quickly. The other Knights were sitting around the campfire, talking with Arthur, Gwaine laughed every now and then, but Elyan didn't feel like joining them.

"Elyan," Arthur suddenly greets from behind him, causing him to jump slightly.

Elyan glances at Arthur for a second before looking away, "If I had stayed with her..."

"You saved Percival," Arthur points out, trying to comfort him. "And you saved Leon."

"But not my own sister," Elyan laughs, but the sound was bitter and cold.

"We cannot blame ourselves," Arthur places a hand on Elyan's shoulder.

"She raised me..." Elyan mutters. "You wouldn't understand."

"I do," Arthur disagrees.

"I don't know what I'd be if it wasn't for her," Elyan sighs. "I can't explain…"

"You don't have to," Arthur nodes in understanding.

Arthur puts his arm around Elyan's shoulders and they walk over to the campfire and joins the other Knights. The two of them sit down and Percival nodes a greeting to Elyan, whilst Leon offers him a slight smile.

"Hey," Gwaine suddenly spoke up. "Where's Merlin and his druid friend?"

They all looked round, but Merlin and Mordred where nowhere in sight.

"The druids," Percival suddenly spoke. "There is a druid settlement not far from here."

"It's more than half a day's ride from here," Leon points out. "And both their horses' are still here."

"They could have used magic," Gwaine grins. "You know, disappeared here and reappeared there."

"Or," A voice from in the trees caused them all to jump slightly and reach for their swords. "Myself and Mordred could simply have gone to the pond not three minutes from here to scry for Gwen."

They turned in time to see Merlin and Mordred step out of the trees and into the light of the campfire.

Merlin looks at Arthur and shakes his head, "We saw nothing. Wherever Morgana has taken Gwen, it is beyond the reach our magic."

"What do you mean 'beyond the reach of your magic'?" Percival asks.

"You cannot scry between realms," Mordred answers.

"You're saying Morgana has taken Gwen to another realm?!" Elyan exclaims.

"It is a possibility," Merlin answers in an effort to calm them down.

The idea Gwen had been taken to another realm was a terrifying idea. But as far as Merlin knew the mortal realm was only home to one other realm and that was the realm of Queen Mab, an outcast from Avalon were what the stories told, but Merlin didn't believe that to be true and her realm wasn't a place he would ever step foot in willingly.

)o(

Freya approaches the forest which Morgana and Gwen had passed through hours earlier while the sun was only begging to set. She stopped a row of stone hidden in the grass, almost completely hidden in the twilight, which marked the beginning of Queen Mab's realm.

"Queen Mab," Freya calls into the forest. "Grant me passage through your realm."

"Why should I do such a thing, mortal?" Queen Mab's voice echoes from the trees.

"My name is Freya," Freya answers. "I am here as ordered by the Sidhe."

"The High Beings of Avalon has no power here," Queen Mab replies.

"But Lord Emrys does," Freya argues.

"You are not Lord Emrys," Queen Mab laughs. "You have no power here."

Freya smiles, "Lord Emrys is my husband."

Queen Mab's laughter fades.

"I'm Lady Emrys," Freya continues. "And like my husband, I have power in every realm."

Suddenly the trees move, revealing the same path Morgana and Gwen had taken.

"Tread carefully, My Lady," Queen Mab warns. "My realm is fraught with danger."

Freya glances at the trees and steps forward onto the path.

)o(

Leon bolted up right with a scream, waking up entire camp. Merlin quickly gets to his feet and hurries to Leon's side, who was breathing heavily and trembling slightly. He rests a hand on Leon's shoulder and almost draws it back in shock, as dark magic clashed with his own.

"It's alright," Merlin reassures him.

"The tower," Leon spoke. "Everything in its shadow... Was dead… The sound it was like... Like children screaming."

Merlin frowns slightly, before turning to Percival who had started talking.

"The rain that fell was like blood," Percival describes. "I had the same dream. I was lost in a forest, the trees had claws, and when I finally escaped it there was a plain..."

"Empty as far as the eye could see, except..." Leon continues.

"Beyond the skyline there was a black pillar of stone," Percival carries on.

Leon turns and looks across at Percival, "The tower was so dark, it could swallow the sun."

"The dark tower," Arthur spoke up, having sat quietly whilst Leon and Percival explained their dream. "It's a place where every young knight is taught to dread and rightly so… It's where many have met their end."

"I've never heard of it," Merlin injects, sharing a glance with Mordred who shook his head with a slight shrug.

"With good reason," Arthur answers. "It's said that the mere mention of it can bring doom to all those that hear it."

"Well, let's not mention it again then," Gwaine interrupts before Merlin has a chance to ask Arthur more about the tower. "I was having a dream of eating cheese that tasted of apple pie. Anyone else had that dream?"

Everyone just stared Gwaine who seemed completely unfazed by their looks.

"Well your all missing out," Gwaine finishes, lying back down and the other follow his example although Percival and Leon were still both slightly shaken. Arthur grabs Merlin's shoulder and pulls him away from the others.

"Why would they both have that dream?" Arthur asks Merlin, once they were out of earshot.

"The poison," Merlin answers. "It is still coursing through their veins."

"But the same dream?" Arthur asks, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

"Arthur," Merlin mutters, his voice taking a more serious tone. "Morgana conjured those snakes, Leon and Percival would be dead if that was what she wished."

"So what are you saying?" Arthur questions.

"She planted those visions in their minds," Merlin explains. "It's a trap, she is luring you to your doom."

"And the tower?" Arthur asks.

Merlin shakes his head slightly, "You don't need me to answers that."

"That's where she's taken Guinevere," Arthur spoke his conclusion out loud and all Merlin could do was node in agreement.

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry this chapter is quite short, but it feels right being the length it is. Hopefully the next chapter will be a bit longer. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter six: Entering the Realm of Queen Mab.

)o(

Arthur pulls the final strap tight on his saddle pack, before turning to the rest of the group.

"I've decided to journey to the Dark Tower," Arthur informs them. "It is my belief that Guinevere has been imprisoned there. I don't know what horrors will be waiting for us, so that is why Merlin and I will go alone."

"No," Elyan disagrees.

"I'm sorry," Arthur shakes his head. "But I've made my decision."

"You can't stop me Arthur," Elyan disagrees. "She's my sister."

"Nor me either," Percival adds. "She's our Queen."

"And our friend," Leon agrees.

"She's a maiden in a tower," Gwaine grins with a flick of his hair. "A damsel in distress. I was born for this moment."

Merlin could help but grin from where he was sitting watching the proceedings, Arthur just rolls his eyes skyward before turning his attention towards Tristan and Isolde.

"You can turn back," Arthur tells them.

"We're going with you," Isolde answers, taking one of Tristan's hands in her own as he nodes in agreement.

"Where Merlin goes, I go," Mordred cuts in before Arthur has a chance to ask him.

Arthur smiles slightly at their show of loyalty, "Let's go."

After a few hours riding the group come to a cliff overlooking a vast forest and beyond the forest the Dark Tower was visible.

"The Dark Tower," Arthur mutters, a hint of weariness in his voice.

"How do we get to it?" Tristan asks.

"Through the Impenetrable Forest," Arthur points towards the vast forest below them.

"But it's..." Merlin begins, his eyes widening slightly and Mordred turns slightly pale at the name.

"Impenetrable," Gwaine grins.

"We can't possibly get through there," Merlin shakes his head. "There has to be another way."

"We must," Arthur replies.

"You don't understand," Merlin argues. "That is Queen Mab's realm."

)o(

Gwen wakes to the feeling of liquid dripping over her face. She sits up startled and looks round in slight horror. All around her were hundreds of Mandrake roots hanging from the ceiling of the room. She had seen what a single root had done to Uthur in a matter of day… She couldn't stay in this room, she had to get out.

But before she had a chance to move, screams and shrieks fill the air and Gwen is forced to cover her ears. She looks round the room in fright as the light begins to fade and she is sent into darkness once more. A noise from behind her causes her to spin round in alarm and back away from it slowly.

She screams and spins on her heels as she bumps into something, only to come face to face with a ghostly illusion of her brother. He smirks at her before he begins to laugh and suddenly he's gone, but his laughter echoes around the room from every direction.

Gwen backs up once more trying to see through the darkness, finally her back hits a wall and she slides down it. Drawing her knees to her chest, Gwen wraps her arms around her knees and tries to keep her rising panic under control.

"Guinevere," Arthur's voice suddenly whispers from somewhere in the darkness of the room.

"Arthur..?" Gwen whispers, shaking her head slightly.

It couldn't be real.

She would have seen the door open.

He couldn't be here.

Suddenly she catches sight of a ghostly image of Arthur, kneeling beside a pillar, sword in hand and motioning her to come to him.

"Arthur?" Gwen questions hesitantly.

Maybe she had been wrong.

Maybe the door had opened and she had been too distracted to notice.

She glances round the darkness of the room once more before crawling towards him, only for him to disappear. Gwen quickly scrambles back over to the wall she had been against moments before and hides her head in her knees and cover her head with her arms.

Suddenly Arthur appears beside her and yells something she couldn't make out in her ear. Gwen scrambles away from him in fright, falling to the ground as her feet get caught in her dress. Tears begin to run down her face.

"It isn't real," Gwen mutter to herself. "It isn't real. None of this is real."

Suddenly the door opens and Gwen recognises the silhouette of Morgana standing in the open doorway. Morgana enters the room, carrying a torch to light her way. She stops a few feet away from Gwen and stares at her for a moment.

"Come," Morgana holds out her hand. "Let us have something to eat."

Gwen moves forward and takes Morgana hand and lets Morgana lead her from the room.

)o(

Tristan fell into step beside Merlin as the group made their way through the Impenetrable Forest.

"Who's Queen Mab?" He asks.

Merlin glances at him, "She's the Queen of the Fae."

"The Fae?" Isolde asks from behind them.

"Fairies, elves," Merlin answers. "Pixies and Goblins."

"So this forest…" Tristan glances round.

"Is her realm," Merlin answers. "And it isn't a place I would ever set foot in willingly, but I cannot leave Arthur unprotected."

Suddenly a frustrated yell from Gwaine catches their attention.

They turn in time to watch him yank his cloak free of a branch covered in thorns, which he had caught his cloak in, ripping the fabric and leaving some material caught in the branches.

Gwaine looks round to see everyone staring at him, "Keep going."

The group carries all going, when a roar from somewhere deeper in the forest suddenly fills the air. Tristan glances at Merlin and notices he had turned pale.

"What was that?" Tristan asks, tightening his grip on his sword instinctively.

"A Questing Beast," Merlin answers.

Mordred shivers, "Then death is coming."

"What do you mean?" Isolde questions.

"A Questing Beast is a death omen," Mordred explains. "Wherever one is seen death always follows."

"At the heart of the old religion lies the power of Life and Death," Merlin explains. "The Questing Beast represents Death. A single bite is fatal, there is no cure."

The sound of a sword snapping in half reaches their ears and they turn to see Percival holding up half a sword.

"It was blunt anyway," Percival shrugs, throwing away the half in his hands.

"Here," Merlin calls across to him, before throwing him a spare sword.

Percival nodes catching the sword, "Thanks, Merlin."

"Don't stop," Arthur calls ahead to Leon who had been leading the way.

"We've lost the path, Sire," Leon replies, with a shake of his head.

"We'll keep heading north," Arthur informs the group.

"How do we know which way is north, Princess?" Gwaine asks.

"The Ivy," Arthur answers. "Pale leaves face south, dull leaves face north."

After an hour of trekking through the dense forest, they reach a clearing and the Dark Tower is visible in the distance.

"We are on the right course," Leon sighs, sounding relieved.

"We should reach the tower by sundown," Arthur nodes to himself. "Let's pick up the pace."

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've just realised I didn't mention Tristan or Isolde in the last chapter, whoops. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter seven: One Step Closer.

"We should have made it out of the forest by now," Leon mutters, sounding frustrated.

Arthur glances round and catches sight of something caught in some branches near by.

"Look," He draws everyone else attention to it as he makes his way over to it.

Pulling a piece of red fabric from the thorns of the branch, Arthur turns and holds up the piece of torn red fabric.

"What is it?" Gwaine asks from where he was standing beside Merlin, unable to get a clear line of sight on what Arthur is holding up.

Arthur adjusts his stance so Gwaine can see the red fabric, which Gwaine quickly works out was the piece of fabric which was torn from his cloak many hours before and Gwaine lifts up his cloak revealing the hole in the red material.

"How can that be?" Elyan asks, looking round and recognising some of the more twisted shaped trees he had noticed the first time they had passed through the area.

Arthur turns and angrily strikes the tree next to him.

"We have gone around in a circle!" Arthur yells in anger and frustration. "We have wasted an entire day!"

Arthur sinks to the ground as his anger leaves him and a look of helplessness passes over his face. The longer they were stuck in the forest the longer it would be until they rescued Gwen. Elyan walks across to Arthur and sits down beside him.

"Let's make camp for the night," Leon suggest. "Get some rest and start over fresh in the morning."

Merlin sighs slightly and walks over to Arthur.

"I made you a promise," Merlin reminds him. "Remember? We will bring her home."

)o(

Morgana sat at the head the table, before her a grand meal had been laid out. A couple of steps away from the table stood Gwen, unsure of what she should do. Morgana glances over at Gwen, as she picked up her fork and ate and mouthful of food.

"Sit," Morgana orders, once she had finished her mouthful of food.

Gwen nervously moves forward and sits at the table. She couldn't work out what Morgan was trying to achieve by doing this… Maybe the food was poisoned, after all Morgana must have known how hungry she was, she hadn't eaten since before Morgana had caught her.

"Eat," Morgana orders.

Gwen shakes her head.

"Here," Morgana held out some grapes. "Food always makes me feel better."

Gwen stares at the offered food wearily and doesn't take it.

"Would you prefer some chicken?" Morgana asked gesturing to the roasted chicken on the platter in the middle of the table. "You must eat, you're fading away."

"I do not know what cruel trick you are playing," Gwen replies finally. "But I will not be broken by you."

Gwen knew what the Mandrake roots had done to Uthur, but she also knew that the affects had stopped as soon as Merlin had destroyed the root and Merlin would be with Arthur when he came to save her, he always was.

Even if Arthur didn't come to rescue her, Merlin would.

But Gwen knew Morgana knew it was Merlin who destroyed the root too, so she'd know Merlin would be able to undo all her work. So what was her plan, if it wasn't to drive her mad? There was no way Morgana wouldn't know Merlin was going to come for her even if Arthur didn't… Merlin would have done the same for her once upon a time.

"I thought this would be nice," Morgana answers innocently. "I know how lonely you must be, all by yourself in that room… At least you're not shackled. There's daylight, be it for a short time. You can move, you can see."

"You expect me to be grateful?" Gwen asks, disbelieving.

"I too have suffered Gwen," Morgana puts down her fork and looks straight at Gwen. "I spent two years living in darkness… I spent two years chained to a wall in the bottom of a pit."

Morgana pauses for a moment and looks thoughtfully at Gwen, who looked both shocked and horrified, even as she tried to keep her face from showing what she was feeling.

"You didn't know?" Morgana asks.

Gwen shakes her head.

"I would have sold my soul for someone to show me kindness such as this," Morgana waves her hand to the table of food before them. "Do you want me to take you back up there?"

Gwen shakes her head again and reaches forward and picks up a grape. She rolls it between her fingers before eating it. Morgana just watches her with a smirk.

)o(

Freya moved through the Dark Tower looking for agreement which Queen Mab had made with the once High Priestess of the Old Religion, Nimueh. She just hoped it was an oath which had been signed on paper, rather than been bound with magic alone.

She would never be able to break the oath, if it was an oath which had been bound in magic. They were after all unbreakable, even in death were mortals were concerned… The only way she'd be able to break it would be by killing Queen Mab, which she wouldn't be able to do.

Queen Mab was an immortal just like herself and Merlin and it was Morgana's destiny to die by Merlin's hand, even if it was possible for her to kill Morgana to break the oath. She was the darkness to his light, only he could destroy her.

A growl suddenly stopped Freya in her tracks.

Slowly she turned, to find Aithusa slowly making his way towards her.

"Aithusa," Freya whispers staring at the pitiful sight that was the white dragon she had known from just older than a hatchling.

When Merlin had first told her about Aithusa, she hadn't believed him. She couldn't believe that the once beautiful and strong young dragon had been reduced to such a state, but here he was right in front of her and Freya could no longer deny it.

It was heart breaking to see and she could now understand why Merlin had been so angry at King Sarrum when news had arrived from his kingdom that it had been him who had done this to Aithusa. Not only did the evil king slaughter Merlin's kind, but tortured his kin too.

Aithusa stops and tilts his head slightly, before rushing forward and pressing his head to Freya's stomach. Gently Freya run her hands over Aithusa head. Where the scales that had once been smooth and tough, were now rough and flaking from the damaged inflicted upon them.

"Oh, Aithusa," Freya whispers. "What did he do to you?"

Aithusa let out a whine, before turning and walking away.

Freya stood watching him, wincing at the way Aithusa limped as he moved. Merlin had been working so hard, looking for a spell or anything which could reverse the damage and heal Aithusa, but so far he had found nothing.

Aithusa stops walking and looks back at Freya whines again.

Freya stares at him for a moment before realising that he wants her to follow him. And so Aithusa leads Freya through the tower to a room near the top of the tower. Stepping into the room, Freya sees it's a bedroom and looked as if it had been used recently and if the presence of Dark Magic in the air was any indication, the room belonged to Morgana.

But Freya could feel another type of magic in the air.

Fae magic.

This was where the oath was being kept.

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry it taken me such a long time to update, but I'm back now so it shouldn't be too long until the next chapter is posted. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter eight: Leaving the Forest.

Merlin's eyes snap open as a noise just outside of the camp wakes him. Sitting up, he looks round. All the knights were fast asleep. Isolde was shifting in her sleep slightly as she curled up closer to Tristan, but other than that there was no movement in the camp… Even Mordred was asleep, which really shouldn't have surprised Merlin, Mordred was a druid, he lived out in the forest like this for years.

A movement in the leaves just outside of the camp caught Merlin's attention and he spins where he's sitting as he tries to catch sight of it. Getting to his feet, Merlin makes his way over to where he'd seen the movement, but there was nothing there.

A flash of something in the corner of his eye, has Merlin spinning around again and he catches a glimpse of something that wasn't normal before it vanishes from sight… But then nothing had appeared normal in the forest so far.

Glancing back at the camp Merlin slowly makes his way through the trees for a few paces and comes to a small clearing with a fallen tree running through the centre. Looking round Merlin tries to catch sight of what had woken him, but all he could see were the looming shadows of the trees in the near darkness.

"Welcome to my realm Emrys," A voice from behind Merlin caused him to jump.

Spinning back round to face the fallen tree Merlin found a small fairy like creature dressed in dark green leaves and glowing slightly in the darkness.

"Who are you?" Merlin asks, staring at the creature warily.

"Why, I'm Queen Mab," The creature answers much to Merlin surprise. He'd heard tales of Queen Mab and this wasn't what he had expected her to look like.

"I am the spirit of this place," Queen Mab continues. "And all the places that bring despair to men's hearts. Few have ever seen me Emrys, you should count yourself fortunate."

Merlin bows to Queen Mab, "It is an honour to step foot in you realm."

"The forest is one step of the journey," Queen Mab informs Merlin.

"How do we find a way out?" Merlin asks.

"Oh little one..." Queen Mab sighs as she stares at Merlin like he's a small child to young to understand the world around him. "You should not have to ask. Left is right and right is left. And the way behind is the way ahead. It is simple."

"Oh..." Merlin mutters, slightly sarcastically. "Simple."

"You have a mind's eye Emrys," Queen Mab tells him. "You must learn to trust in it. But far greater challenge's lie ahead."

"When we reach the dark tower?" Merlin asks.

"If..." Queen Mab corrects.

"What do you mean?" Merlin asks sharply, not liking the way Queen Mab had said it.

"You must beware Emrys," Queen Mab warns him. "The tower is not a real place. It is the heart's rest. The mind's deepest fear. The stillness in a humming bird's eye..."

"Stop talking in riddles," Merlin almost snaps.

"Then I shall speak in rhyme," Queen Mab replies. "Heed my words which you concern, for one of you will not return."

"What do you mean?" Merlin answers looking back at the camp as Queen Mab laughter echoes through the night air.

"Which one?" Merlin looks back to Queen Mab, only to find her gone.

)o(

Freya stares at the oath in her hands, the strength of the magic radiating off of it was almost enough to make her sick. The sooner she destroyed it the better. The screams of the dead bound to the oath were ringing in her ears and she could feel the damage it had done to the balance of the world.

Turning towards Aithusa, Freya set the oath down on the floor and took a step back. Aithusa moved forward and sniffed the, before the young dragon looks up at Freya and tilts his head to the side, blinking at Freya slowly.

"Burn it, please," Freya answers Aithusa unspoken question. "Dragons fire is the only thing strong enough to destroy it. Please, Aithusa."

Aithusa bows his head before berthing fire of the oath. Freya watches it burn and suddenly a wave of magic hits her, forcing her to take a step backwards. Freya watches as the souls bound to the subject fly free and disappear into the light streaming through the open window on the far side of them room.

"What have you done?!" A voice suddenly screeches at Freya.

Freya turns to find herself face to face with a very angry Queen Mab.

"What I was ordered to do by the Sidhe elders," Freya answers. "Even you must answer to them, Queen of the Fae."

Queen Mab lets out an angry yell and sends a spell hurtling towards Freya, who ducks out the way.

"You will pay for this, Lady of the Lake," Queen Mab vows. "You will all pay for your meddling. Even the Sidhe elders will not be able to undo this."

Freya stares at Queen Mab as Aithusa let out a sound that was a cross between a hiss and a growl.

Queen Mab just sneers at the dragon and begins to chant and Freya could feel the magic beginning to gather in the air around her. Whatever Queen Mab was doing it was requiring a lot of magic, but Freya couldn't understand the words Queen Mab was chanting, the language of the Fae in the mortal realm was different to the Fae of Avalon.

Suddenly Freya found herself kneeling before Queen Mab, almost like a hand on her shoulder had forced her to her knees and Queen Mab smirked at her as she continued to chant. Freya glanced sideways to see Aithusa had his head bowed. Freya tried to get to her feet, but found herself frozen in place. The force of the magic was so strong in the air she couldn't physically move through it.

"What have you done?" Freya demands, as the magic subsides and she able to return to her feet.

"You will soon see," Queen Mab answers. "When the Dark Moon rises, your world will crumble to dust and no magic in this world or any other will be able to fix it. Enjoy the peace while it lasts, young queen."

And Freya suddenly found herself standing alone in Morgana's bed chamber, with Queen Mab's warning ringing in her ears.

)o(

The Knights walk through the forest whilst Merlin and Mordred hang back, talking between themselves in quiet tones.

"We need to find the clearing where we saw the Dollares Plains," Arthur spoke up as he came to a halt and looks around.

"Which way is that?" Elian asks.

"North," Merlin answers, stepping forward.

"Which way is that Merlin?" Arthur asks, turning to face Merlin.

"That way," Merlin answers, pointing north.

"No it's..." Arthur stabs his sword into the ground as the clouds cleared for a second and the shadow of the sword pointed north and the direction Merlin had pointed. "Over there. How on earth did you know that?!"

"Sense of smell," Merlin answers sarcastically. "When the wind is from the north you can smell the sea."

The Knights snort and try to hide their laughter.

"That's ridiculous," Arthur replies.

Merlin rolls his eyes.

"Trust me just this once?" Merlin asks.

"But what's the use?" Arthur snaps. "You can't use magic here, so what use are you?"

Merlin takes a step back as both Gwaine and Mordred take a defensive step forward, reaching for their swords before they stop as Merlin shakes his head at them. Arthur was just stressed and frustrated and taking in out on Merlin. He didn't mean it.

"Arthur..." Elyan pleads. "Give him a chance."

"What choice do we have?" Leon asks. "This realm is magical, we're not."

Arthur nodes and Merlin starts to lead them through the forest.

"Are you sure this is the right way Merlin?" Arthur asks, as they walk.

Merlin looks ahead and his eyes flash gold and he sees the path ahead of them. Merlin nodes and they continue walking. Finally they reach the area where Percival had broken his sword and Percival picks up his broken blade and shrugs at Arthur.

"Merlin," Percival turns to Merlin. "You're a genius."

They continue onwards and Merlin finally leads them out to the spot they had previously overlooked the plans and the Dark Tower. Arthur stares at the sight before him, almost like he can't believe what he's seeing. Taking a step forward, Arthur places a friendly hand on Merlin's shoulder.

"I shouldn't have doubted you," Arthur mutters, almost like it was straining him to say it, but Merlin could see the teasing light in Arthur's eyes. "I'm sorry, my friend."

"Which way now?" Arthur asks, turning serious once more.

Merlin once again uses his third eye with a flash of gold eyes, to see the path ahead of them and begins leading the way. Realising that Queen Mab's advice had been correct, Merlin begins to pick up the pace. The faster they got out of the forest the sooner they would find Gwen.

Finally Merlin steps out of the forest and onto the sandy plains, in the distance the Dark Tower was visible. The Knights emerge from the forest a couple of steps behind him, whilst Mordred, Isolde and Tristan bring up the rear.

"How far do you think it is?" Elyan squints at the tower in the distance.

"At least we can see where we are going," Gwaine comments, as he twirled his sword and glared back at the forest.

"Then let's not stand here looking at it," Arthur orders and begins heading across the sandy ground towards the tower.

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter nine: Friend or Enemy?

Gwen slowly got to her feet from where she had been laying on the floor. On the other side of the room Gaius was staring at her, but he doesn't greet her. Sensing she's being watched, Gwen looks round only to find the room around her empty.

The sound of a key turning in a lock echoes through the room and Gwen jumps and turns towards the door, just in time to see it swing open and Morgana enters.

"I thought you might like to dine with me," Morgana announces the reason for her visit.

Morgana begins to walk towards Gwen, who backs away from her.

"Come," Morgana holds out her hand to Gwen. "You must eat or you will fade away."

Gwen slowly reached forward and takes Morgana's hand and Morgana begins to lead her towards the door. Gwen suddenly seems to realise what she's doing and what's happening and pulls her hand back.

"Your hands are cold," Morgana mutters, sounding kind as she stares at Gwen. "Let me get a warm fire going for you. Anything you want you can have, I'll give it to you."

"Why are you doing this?" Gwen pleads.

"Because we are friends," Morgana answers. "We always were-"

"Leave me alone," Gwen pleads again and turns away from Morgana.

"Gwen..." Morgana starts.

"What are you going to do to me?" Gwen suddenly asks quietly, with her back still to Morgana.

"I'm helping you," Morgana answers. "I am looking after you-"

"I want nothing from you," Gwen cuts Morgana off.

"Well if you change your mind," Morgana sneers. "Let me know."

And with that Morgana storms from the room and slams the door shut behind her. Tears roll down Gwen's cheeks as the door locks itself and another scream echoes through the room.

)o(

Arthur turns and looks back over his shoulder as Percival stopped to take off his boot, only to reveal a massive blister on his foot. Elyan and Leon wince in sympathy, while Arthur turns back and looks at the tower they were gradually getting closer to.

"We cannot afford to rest," Arthur informs Percival as he turn s back to face him.

"I'm alright," Percival answers, putting his boot back on and getting to his feet.

The continue trekking across the sandy plains. Suddenly Merlin slips as they make their way along the top of a ridge and tumbles down the sandy slope.

"Merlin!" Percival exclaims, having been walking behind Merlin as he fell.

Everyone stops and looks round and watches as Merlin tumbles down the slope and lands next to a bunch of copses, that had clearly once been Knights, one of whom swords' Merlin nearly impaled himself on as he came to a halt at the bottom.

Forcing himself to his feet, Merlin stares at the corpses for a moment, before turning and beginning to climb back up the sandy ridge. As he got closer to the top, Percival reaches down and offers Merlin a hand, which Merlin gratefully accepts and Percival pulls him up.

"We must keep moving," Arthur orders and Merlin nodes, glancing back at the corpses one last time before he carries on walking, not noticing how one of the corpses twitch.

As they continue on their way they draw nearer to the Dark Tower and more bodies begin to appear, all of which twitch whilst no one is looking. Merlin glances at the corpses and wondered how many bodies lay hidden in the forest, of those who had failed to make it out of the forest.

"We're not far now," Tristan nodes towards where entrance to the Dark Tower had finally come into view.

"We need to keep moving," Arthur orders.

)o(

"Don't look, you'll be alright..." Gwen sobs to herself, with her hands over her ears trying to block out the screams. "Don't look, you'll be alright... D-don't lo-ok… Don't look, you'll be alright…"

"Guinevere..." Arthur's voice suddenly echoes through the room.

"Huh?!" Gwen looks round the room. "Arthur...?"

Suddenly Arthur appears out of nowhere and smiles at her.

"No!" Gwen shakes her head. "I know it's not you!"

Arthur begins to make his way over to her slowly, his smile slowly taking a more evil edge.

"I know it's not you!" Gwen repeats over and over again as he draws nearer. "I know it's not you! I know it's not you!"

"Guinevere," Arthur calls. "Look at me."

"I know it's not you," Gwen mutters to herself, hiding her face in her knees and covering her ears.

"Please..." Arthur pleads.

"I know it's not you," Gwen repeats.

"It's me," Arthur kneels before her. "It's Arthur."

"I know it's not you," Gwen sobs.

Arthur reaches forward and takes Gwen's hands in his own.

"See?" Arthur smiles. "It's me. It's Arthur. You're safe now."

Gwen finally looks up at Arthur only for him to laugh manically and disappear into thin air. Gwen covers her ears once more, crying as laughter and screaming echoes in the air around her. She failed to notice the door opening and Morgana entering the room.

"It's all right," Morgana soothes Gwen. "It's all right. I'm here."

And Gwen goes willingly into Morgana's embrace.

"I'm here," Morgana rubs a hand up and down Gwen's back comfortingly. "My darling, I was wrong to make you suffer. The mandrake root is cruel. It pierces the depths of your very soul. Pushes you into the twisted consciousness of what you fear and dread the most."

Morgana pauses for a moment.

"Gwen, you have been so courageous, but it was necessary," Morgana continues. "Gwen, you're not alone now. You need never been alone again. I am the only one you can trust. I am the only one you have left in the world. The others torment you, hate you... Come."

Morgana gets to her feet and Gwen takes it and let Morgana pull her to her feet and lets Morgana guide her towards the door.

"You need some rest," Morgana nodes to her. "Some proper rest."

"No," Gwen suddenly pulls away from Morgana. "Whatever twisted game you are playing, I want no part in it… I would rather stay here and die."

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter ten:

Arthur reaches the entrance to the dark tower first, shortly followed by the Knights and Isolde. But Merlin had stopped and was looking back the way they had come. Mordred stands beside him following Merlin's gaze, there were corpses and skeletons everywhere.

Arthur draws his sword and heads for the stairs, walking through a ruined hallway just beyond the tower entrance and the Knights and Isolde do the same. Merlin and Mordred share a look before moving to follow Arthur and the others. Not far ahead of them Arthur has already began to climb up the stairs.

"Something's wrong," Merlin points out, as he and Mordred join the back of the group, stepping over more corpses and skeletons. "It's too easy."

"Are you ever happy?" Arthur calls back from the head of thru group, but even he can't deny Merlin has a point.

They continue on their way and Arthur pushes pack some thick dust covered spider webs only for a Skelton to drop down startling him and causing him to step backwards. Elyan takes it as an opportunity to slips past Arthur and enters a room leading off from the stairs not far ahead of them.

"Arthur!" Elyan voice suddenly echoes back to them.

Arthur instantly picks up the pace and enters the room Elyan had entered. Elyan stood near the centre of the room.

"Don't!" Elyan yells as Percival moves forwards towards him.

But his warning came too late as Percival steps on one of the triggers and an arrow shots out of nowhere and imbeds itself in Percival's thigh, causing Percival to let out a moan of pain. Arthur turns towards Percival only to trigger another trigger and an arrows heads straight towards Arthur's back and with a flash of gold eyes, Merlin deflects it.

Suddenly the air is filled with more flying arrows and Merlin throws up his hand and his eyes flash again and every arrows freezes in midair. Everyone turns to look at Merlin, who shrugs slightly and lowers his hand, the arrows fall to the floor.

"Nobody move," Arthur orders, turning away from Merlin. "Stay exactly where you are."

"What triggered it?" Leon asks, looking round the room and studying it.

"The flag stones," Arthur answers. "They must react to pressure."

"Here," Elyan calls across to them. "I will use this."

Elyan throws his sword forward onto one of the stones, which sinks down slightly and another arrow shoots out of nowhere and bounces harmlessly off a wall across the room, before stepping forward onto the stone.

"I will go first," Merlin takes a step forward.

The stone sinks slightly under Merlin's weight and Merlin throws up a hand, freezing an arrow an itch from his palm with a flash of gold eyes. Arthur, the Knights and Isolde, quickly follow Merlin's path, with Mordred bringing up the rear.

"I'll push on," Elyan informs the group behind him, as he draws nearer to the door.

"No, Elyan," Arthur quickly orders.

"None of us would not be here if it weren't for me," Elyan turns to look back at them. "I have to do this."

Elyan reaches the door and runs through it and off down a hallway to a staircase, which he quickly runs up, not noticing how the entrance behind him turns to stone, making it look like there had never been a staircase there at all.

"Elyan!" Arthur yell echoes behind him.

)o(

Mordred knelt beside Percival, examining the wound from where Percival had been struck by the arrow. The wound was deep and slightly worse than it would have been if Percival hadn't pulled the arrow out himself.

"Why can't you just heal it?" Gwaine asks, curiously, from where he stands watching.

"Because Queen Mab has not granted me permission to use magic within her realm," Mordred answers.

"So how come Merlin can?" Gwaine questions.

"Because Queen Mab gave me permission… Mostly," Merlin replies, kneeling beside Mordred.

"When?" Arthur demands.

"Last night," Merlin answers, holding a hand over Percival wound.

"And you didn't think to mention it?" Arthur glares at the back of Merlin's head.

"There isn't much to know," Merlin shrugs slightly. "I woke up and heard a noise outside of the camp, so I went to see what it was and Queen Mab was waiting for me."

"You left the camp alone, in a realm where you couldn't use magic, to see what a noise was in the middle of the night?" Arthur demands. "Could you be any more stupid, Merlin?!"

"I've done worse," Merlin defends himself.

Gwaine snorts and quickly turned it into a cough as Arthur sent a glare his way. Even Leon was having a hard time keeping the smile off of his face. Percival sent a small smile in Merlin direction and Merlin grins back at him before his eyes flash gold and Percival wound begins to heal its self.

"That's the best I can do," Merlin informs Percival as he gets to his feet, before slamming his hands over his ears as screams and shrieks seemed to echo through his head and he collapses to his knees, beside him Mordred has his ears covered too.

The screams were high pitched and terrifying and so very loud. Merlin had heard the screams of a Mandrake root first hand, but it had been nowhere near as cloud as this. Finally the screams subside and Merlin is left gasping for breath, he hardly notices Arthur's hand on his shoulder and the concerned faces of the Knights around him, as he shares a look with Mordred.

"Merlin, mate," Gwaine appears on Merlin's other side. "You alright?"

Merlin glances at Gwaine and nodes shakily.

"What just happened?" Arthur demands.

"Mandrake roots," Merlin answers, getting to his feet slowly and looking round. "They need to be destroyed. They're no doubt part of Morgana's plan… One root almost destroyed Uthur and what myself and Mordred just heard was definitely more than one root."

"We came here to save Guinevere," Arthur argues. "We cannot afford to be distracted now we are so close to saving her."

"And what do you suppose we do, Arthur, if Gwen has suffered the effects of the mandrake roots? The only way to reverse the effects is to destroy the root!" Merlin disagrees.

Arthur stares at Merlin for a moment, before turning and stalking off.

"I am finding Guinevere," Arthur calls over his shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid, Merlin, I don't want to be saving two maidens in distress today."

Merlin pulls a face at Arthur's back, as one by one the knights turn to follow Arthur. Isolde sends a small smile in Merlin's direction, a silent wish of good luck. And much to Merlin surprise, Gwaine doesn't go with them. Merlin sends a questioning look at Gwaine, who just shrugs.

"You might need the help," Gwaine shrugs.

)o(

Elyan turns and begins making his way up another staircase, as he desperately searches for Gwen. Finally he reaches a locked door, which he kicks down and enters the room to find Gwen standing on the other side of the room with a sword hanging in the air between them.

"Gwen!" Elyan exclaims.

"Elyan!" Gwen replies, turning to face him.

"What has she done to you?" Elyan demands, trying to get past the sword to his sister.

"No, don't!" Gwen cries out. "It will not let you pass. Morgana enchanted it to protect me. You can't free me Elyan. Leave me here, please."

"No," Elyan cries, pulling off his cloak and taking a fighting stance.

"You cannot overcome it," Gwen pleads, desperately. "It will fight to the death."

But Elyan pays no heed to Gwen warning, but charges forward and begins to fight with the enchanted sword. Elyan fights with all his might, but no matter what he tried, he could not destroy the sword and in a miscalculated attack, Elyan gets stabbed by the enchanted sword and stumbles backwards.

"Elyan!" Gwen cries. "Go! Save yourself!"

But Elyan once again ignores his sister and continues to fight the enchanted sword. Finally he sees an opportunity and sends the enchanted sword flying out of an open windows with a single well timed move. Elyan quickly shuts the wooden shutters across the windows and lets out a deep breath as he hears the sword clutter to the found beyond the window.

But suddenly the sword forces itself through the shutter and Elyan stables backwards away from the shutters, as the enchanted sword bursts into the room. Elyan prepares himself for battle and the sword flies straight for him and in the same moment Isolde steps into the room.

"Elyan!" She greets. "For a moment we thought we'd never find you. I FOUND HI-"

But Isolde is cut off as the sword impales her. She looks down in shock at the blood covered sword which is sticking out of her chest, before she looks up at Elyan and collapses to knees.

"Isolde!" Gwen cries, running over to Isolde and falling to the floor beside her.

"My Queen," Isolde greets Gwen, coughing as blood runs down from her lips.

"Oh Isolde," Gwen cries, as Isolde coughs again before going still in Gwen arms.

Tristan followed by the other Knights bursts into the room suddenly and Tristan gaze instantly goes to Isolde.

"NO," Tristan bellows and rushes forward, pulling Isolde's body into his arms. "No! Isolde, my love, wake up, please. Isolde… Please…"

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

Chapter eleven:

Merlin walks slightly ahead of Mordred and Gwaine, as he tries to work out where the Mandrake roots are. But the screams seemed to be coming from every direction. Merlin turns his head to the side and looks down a narrow corridor. Hid eyes flash gold and reveal the corridor was a dead end. Merlin sighs and spins on his heels to face Mordred and Gwaine.

"We've checked everywhere," Merlin mutters. "They're not on this level."

"Onwards and upwards," Gwaine grins heading towards the stairs and Merlin almost rolled his eyes.

Mordred shares a look with Merlin before he shrugs one shoulder slightly.

"Doesn't this remind of that time we had to save the princess?" Gwaine calls over his shoulder.

"Which time?" Merlin replies.

"The one with the giant pheasants," Gwaine answers.

"Giant pheasants?" Mordred asks.

Merlin rolls his eyes.

"They were actually wyverns," Merlin explains.

"Hey, Merlin," Gwaine suddenly called from ahead of them, stopping Merlin explanation.

"What?" Merlin questions.

"We've got company… Of the dead kind," Gwaine replies.

"What?" Merlin asks. "I think I must have misheard you, did you just say 'company of the dead kind'?"

"Yeah," Gwaine nodes and points along the hallway they had just reached at the hop of the stairs.

Blocking the hallway were a horde of undead Knights. And before Merlin even had time to comment on the sight before them, the horde surged forward as one. Merlin throws up his hand and his eyes flash gold, sending the horde flying back.

"Run," Merlin orders.

The three of them turn and run back down the stairs, only for Mordred to come to a sudden halt as they find the stairwell blocked by more of the undead.

"Go back up!" Merlin exclaims, as he sends the undead knights crashing down the stairs, only to reveal many more coming up the stairs behind them. "Go back up! Run!"

Merlin sends the undead Knights flying out of their way, as they run back up the stairs and along the hallway. Finally the reach a smaller staircase and Merlin doesn't hesitate to run up them shortly followed by Gwaine and Mordred.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Merlin spots a small room across from the hall from the stairs.

"In here," Merlin calls over his shoulder.

The three of them rush into the room and Merlin summons a gust of wind to slam the door shut behind them. Merlin stares through the metal grid in the door, watching for any movement on the stairs across from the door. But it didn't appear as if anything had followed them.

Merlin turned around and held up his hand.

"Léoht," Merlin's eyes flash gold.

An orb of light appeared above his hand, lighting up the room. Merlin's eyes widen as he gazes round the room. Hanging from the ceiling were hundreds of Mandrake roots.

"Forbearnan!" Merlin commands and every single Mandrake root in the room burst into blames and burns to nothing more than ash, with almost deafening screams.

Gwaine grips, Merlin arm as he almost doubles over in pain at the sound and before Merlin can even straighten up, the ground below their feet trembles.

"What was that?" Gwaine demands.

"I don't know," Merlin answers.

)o(

Merlin stands at the top of the stairs, Gwaine at his side. Two steps down from them Mordred was kneeling beside one of the undead Knights, which now was nothing more than a corpse like they had past when they had approached the tower.

"What happened to them?" Gwaine asks. "Why are they no longer… Undead?"

Mordred gets to his feet and turns back to face Merlin and Gwaine.

"I can't sense any remains of an enchantment," Mordred explains. "Whatever caused them to return to life… It wasn't normal magic."

Merlin frowns, "Fear lives only in the heart of men."

"Huh?" Gwaine asks.

"There was something Queen Mad told me," Merlin explains, moving forward to get a closer look at the dead knight. "'The tower is not a real place. It is the heart's rest. The mind's deepest fear.'. I've been trying to work out what she meant… Now I think I know."

Merlin turns and looks back at Gwaine, "The tower isn't real."

"It seems pretty real to me," Gwaine answers.

"But none of this is real," Merlin explains. "All of this is an illusion."

The tower around them suddenly trembles again.

"This tower is nothing more than illusion, created by what we fear most," Merlin continues to explain once the trembling stops. "Mandrake roots pierce the subconscious mind and bring our deepest fears to life. We destroyed the roots."

"It makes sense," Mordred nodes. "We destroyed the source of the fear, which creates the tower. The illusion no longer has a source of power, so it's fading."

"Merlin!" A voice suddenly called from the stairs behind them.

Merlin turns and looks round, to find Freya coming up the stairs towards him.

"Freya!" Merlin exclaims as the two of them embrace.

"We need to get out of here," Freya said, as she pulls back.

Merlin nodes, "We need to find the others first."

)o(

Merlin watches as Isolde body, wrapped in cloth, was placed upon the funeral pyre. Tristan stands nearby with tears running down his face. Many of the Knight had stepped forward and offered him their sympathies, but it had done little to comfort Tristan and Merlin couldn't help but feel like this was his fault.

He had reached Isolde far too late to be able to trade a life for the return of hers, like he had once done before… Merlin wasn't even sure it was possible to do it for a second time even if he had reached her in time. The balance between life and death was a scared thing, it could only be redistributed so many times.

A knight steps forward and hands Tristan a burning torch. Tristan stands still watching the flames for a moment, before he finally throws it forwards and onto the funeral pyre. As the flames climbed higher and smoke filled the air, Merlin turns to Gaius.

"I was warned that one of us would not return," Merlin tells him.

"It's not your fault Merlin," Gaius replies.

"Isolde is dead," Merlin states.

"The sword that Isolde fell prey to, was surely intended for Arthur," Gaius answers. "Now he is safe and so is Gwen."

Merlin turns to look at where Arthur stood with an arm around Gwen. Merlin couldn't shake the feeling that there was something different about Gwen, ever since they had rescued her from the tower… But Gwen had suffered at the hands of Morgana and her enchanted Mandrake roots for days…

After all one root had reduced Uthur to a quivering mess and Gwen had been trapped in a room with hundreds of them… Maybe it was just the lingering effects of roots. Merlin frowns slightly as Gwen shifts almost uncomfortably in Arthur's grip… But what if Morgana had done something else?

Suddenly a hand on Merlin's arm startled him and Merlin looks round to find Freya beside him. Freya then glances over at Gwen before looking back at Merlin, with a questioning look and Merlin smiles weakly with a slight shrug.

"I will keep an eye on her," Freya promises. "The effects caused by the roots can take some time to pass."

"Thank you," Merlin answers, raising Freya hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles.

Freya smiles and the two of them turn back to the burning pyre.

Later that night, Gwen shifts in her sleep before opening her eyes as she wakes. Beside her Arthur is asleep with his arms around her. Moving carefully Gwen frees herself from Arthur's grasp and stands from the bed and makes her was over to the changing screen, where she quickly cha gets out of her nightwear and into a grown and cloak.

Leaving her shared chambers, she walks through the castle, the hood of her cloak pulled low over her face. She makes her way through the castle and through thru castle gates undetected and walks through the lower town, using paths she knew the guards didn't patrol during her time living in that part of the city.

Crossing the drawbridge undetected, Gwen makes her way into the forest. Following the path through the darkness, Gwen was completely unfazed by the noises of the forest around her. Finally she reaches a clearing where Morgana is waiting for her. The two of the embrace before Morgana steps back and studies Gwen.

"How is he?" Morgana asks, referring to Arthur.

"Arthur thinks he has won," Gwen informs her. "He has no idea."

"Do you understand now who you can trust?" Morgana asks, running a hand down the side of Gwen's face.

"It's you Morgana," Gwen replies. "Its only ever been you."

"You are not one of them," Morgana smirks slightly. "And you never will be."

"You don't know how much I hate them," Gwen answers viciously. "All of them."

"You have done well to see past the lies to the real truth," Morgana smirks. "You have an important part to play in the future. Together we will ensure the destruction of everything that Arthur holds dear."

)o(

 **Hey, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


	12. The Adventure Continues

Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin.

The Adventure Continues…

Merlin's eye snap up and he instantly sits bolt upright and looks around Gaius' chamber. Last night had been the first dark moon since they had entered Queen Mable kingdom and Merlin had been searching through Gaius' vast collection of books and scrolls, looking for any clues as to what Queen Mable curse was and if it could be reversed before it even began.

)o(

"Arthur!" Merlin yells jumping down from his horse.

Arthur continues to fight the two bandits and as Arthur kills one, the second raises their sword to strike Arthur whilst he's preoccupied. Merlin eyes flash gold and the sword flies from the bandits' hands and Arthur turns a second later and runs them through.

)o(

"Merlin!" Gaius scolds suddenly. "What's the meaning of all this mess?!"

Merlin smiles sheepishly at Gaius, "Sorry, I got a bit carried away doing research."

"Well clear it up!" Gaius orders.

Merlin nodes and waves his hand. With a flash of gold, the books and scrolls fly though the air and come to a rest where they belonged.

)o(

"You're very fortunate, sire," Gaius informs Arthur, as he tends to his wounds. "With a fall like that, you could have broken your neck."

"The men that attacked us," Arthur questions. "Have they been questioned?"

"I'm sorry, sire," Gaius answers packing away his supplies. "The wounds were fatal. We were unable to learn anything from them."

"We know one thing," Merlin points out from where he was standing. "It can't have been a coincidence that they were there."

)o(

"Aren't you impressed that I remembered our anniversary?" Arthur asks Gwen.

"But you didn't remember," Gwen points out, not unkindly. "I reminded you over a month ago."

"Yes…" Arthur agrees. "But I remembered that it was today… Today."

"Hmm," Gwen smiles slightly, not believing him.

"Actually," Merlin cuts in. "I did."

"Shut up, Merlin!" Arthur snaps over his shoulder, but there was no real malice in his tone.

)o(

 **Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this story. The next story, A Lesson in Vengeance, will be posted some time tomorrow. Until next time,**

 **Blessed be,**

 **TreeOfLife1997.**


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